Thriller 5+/5

Psychologist Alex Delaware is drawn into the mystery of locating Ovid, the missing child of a fragile Hollywood starlet. I loved this book on so many levels. The writing is beautiful, the mystery deepens with ever turn—and the ending is impossible to guess, and perfect when it arrives. One of the best bits, though, was the absence of an identifiable villain for the first half of the book: well-meaning bureaucrats in a broken system provide all the obstacles needed to stymie Alex’s hunt for a killer.

Editing The Shadow Spy’s Wife–trying to cut 500 words. Next I do revision on The Shadow Spy’s Daughter based on feedback from my beta readers. It goes to the editor at the end of the month. Just settled into a 3-day writers’ retreat to focus!

Science Fiction 4/5

On a mobile mining city on a distant planet, Victor, a crime scene witness, is drawn into investigating the abduction of a corporate executive. Noir-toned, this book fascinated me with the ever deepening spiral of complications that takes Victor through a fascinating world. The characters and their complex relationships, and the clues, revelations, and rising stakes make this a gripping read.

Critiqued a novel for a friend. Got a crit back for one of my novels and will work on it next week.

Christmas break so I took time off. Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful New Year’s Celebration (if that’s what you do) tomorrow!